Download Mountain Skies THE

PISGAH
ASTRONOMICAL
RESEARCH
INSTITUTE
Text by Dr. Bob Hayward
Astronomer/Educator
Graphics by TheSky
Software Bisque
Mountain Skies
October 17, 2016
THE “CAPRICORN HOUR”
The stars: Some refer to this time of the year as the Capricorn Hour since this faint but
beautiful constellation is easily situated for viewing in the southern skies in the early evening.
Capricornus is known as the “seagoat” and is really a celestial joke. It seems the god Pan, who was
half boy and half goat, was startled by the monster Typhon. His immediate reaction was to change
himself into a fish and swim to safety. But in his haste he got all mixed up and ended up with the front
half of a goat and the back half of a fish. Thus, he is often referred to as the “seagoat” or sometimes
“goatfish.” We get our English word “panic” from this episode.
Capricornus is on the edge of an area of the sky containing a group of constellations related to
water. To the east of Capricornus are the constellations of Aquarius the water bearer, Pisces the
fishes, and Cetus the sea monster or whale (from which we get the word “cetacean”). To his south is
Piscis Austrinus, the southern fish. Because so many of these constellations are associated with water,
we call this area of the sky “The
Sea.”
While the constellations
in “The Sea” are generally quite
faint, there is one bright star,
Fomalhaut, in Piscis Austrinis.
Incidentally, at the present time,
the planet Neptune, not visible
to the naked eye, is nestled in
the middle of Aquarius. This is
appropriate since Neptune, known as Poseidon to the Greeks, was the god of the seas.
The great flying horse Pegasus is rising to the north of Pisces. We spot him by looking for a
square of bright stars, the “Great Square of Pegasus.” (Technically, the northeastern corner of this
square, the star Alpheratz, marks the head of the beautiful princess Andromeda, but we commonly
include it as one corner of the Great Square of Pegasus.) The planet Uranus, right at the edge of
visibility to the naked eye under ideal conditions, lies in Pisces the fishes below the eastern edge of the
Great Square of Pegasus. Actually, Pegasus is only half of a flying horse since this constellation does
not include his hindquarters or rear legs and tail. The story goes that Pegasus was born in the sea.
Thus, he is often depicted rising up out of the water. He is also upside down as we view him from the
Northern Hemisphere. So, in a nutshell, what we really see is half of an upside down flying horse.
Think about the last time you saw a flying horse rising up out of the ocean and you will have no trouble
visualizing Pegasus in the autumn skies.
The planets: After sunset we have Venus low in the southwest as our “Evening Star.” To the
upper left of this bright planet is the much dimmer Saturn with the red Mars well up due south in
Sagittarius the archer. Uranus and Neptune are up low in the east but the observer will need a
telescope to find the former and at least binoculars for the latter. Jupiter is now emerging from the
morning twilight replacing the elusive Mercury which has now disappeared into the sunrise.
Orionid Meteor Shower: As with all meteor showers, the Orionids are best observed between
midnight and dawn from a dark location with clear skies. In 2016 the Orionids are predicted to reach a
peak of about twenty meteors per hour about 1 a.m. EDT, Friday, October 21. This shower generally
lasts for about two days; so one should expect to see some Orionids the morning of the 20th, peaking
on the 21st and remaining on the 22nd. Unfortunately, we will have a third quarter moon rising about
midnight. Thus, in the predawn hours, there will be moonlight interfering with observing the fainter
meteors. Look high in the east to find the meteors appearing to radiate out the area at the tip of the
club of the constellation of Orion the hunter, near the feet of Gemini the twins. Binoculars or telescopes
are not needed to observe meteors.
Celestial Calendar:
October 21, 1 a.m. EDT - Peak of the Orionid Meteor Shower
October 22, 4:04 p.m. EDT – Last Quarter Moon
October 30, 1:38 p.m. EDT – New Moon
October 31 – The Sun moves from Virgo the maiden into Libra the scales
November 6, 2:00 a.m. EDT - Daylight Saving Time ends. Set clocks back 1 hour.
November 7, 3:51 p.m. EDT – First Quarter Moon